The Healing Sanctuary: A Grassroots Nonprofit Fills the Survivorship Care Gap for Akron-Area Women After Cancer
核心洞察
The Healing Sanctuary (搜索), a nonprofit founded by three breast cancer (搜索) survivors, provides free 48-hour restorative retreats for women in active cancer treatment or within two years post-treatment in the Akron area.
Since launching five months after the founders visited a similar retreat in New Jersey, the organization has served approximately 45 women with a waiting list of about 230 more.
Dr. Azka Ali of the Cleveland Clinic notes that cancer care requires a multidisciplinary approach, and the retreat addresses emotional and mental well-being barriers often neglected in standard treatment.
Three Akron-area women, each diagnosed with breast cancer (搜索) in 2023 and 2024, have transformed their personal healing journeys into a nonprofit retreat that is addressing a critical gap in cancer survivorship care. Eileen Brown, Marisa Fatica, and Kelly Inglett founded The Healing Sanctuary (搜索) after attending a restorative cancer retreat at Mary's Place by the Sea (搜索) in New Jersey in April of last year. Within just five months, they launched their first local retreat and have since served approximately 45 women, with a waiting list of about 230 more.
"We really want to provide this to anybody that wants to come," said Fatica, a Bath resident who works in real estate and has two children. "We know how to treat the cancer — I don't know that there's a lot of support for living with cancer or living post-cancer."
A 48-Hour Immersive Healing Experience
Each month, the nonprofit retreat hosts five adult women diagnosed with any type of cancer, entirely free of charge. Eligibility requires participants to be in active treatment or no more than two years post-treatment. The retreat spans two days and two nights, with a carefully crafted schedule designed to promote physical, emotional, and mental healing.
The first day typically involves group activities, while the second day allows guests more independent time for facials, massages, reiki treatments, and other restorative practices. Retreats have been held at the O'Neil House, a bed and breakfast with large windows and abundant greenery, and more recently in donors' homes that are taken over entirely for the experience.
Fatica described the ultimate goal as making guests feel cared for through a luxurious experience. She said the aim is to "get them away from the doctors, get them away from the appointments and just really pamper them and let them feel like a human again and reconnect with themselves as well as each other."
The Patient Perspective: Finding Light After Treatment
Sarah Bokovitz, a 37-year-old Akron resident, professor, nurse practitioner, and mother of two, was among the first groups to attend The Healing Sanctuary (搜索). She said she had expected life to return to normal after completing breast cancer (搜索) treatment, but that hope proved far from reality. She continues to deal with scans, complications from cancer, and the persistent fear of recurrence.
"It just really took a mental toll," Bokovitz said. The retreat, she noted, was exactly what she needed. "It helped me relax, have connection and a sense of peace that I needed on a physical, mental and emotional level. It helped me find the light again."
Brown emphasized the emotional weight participants carry. "Because they're finished with their treatment, they feel like everyone expects them to get back to life as normal," she said. "Cancer changes you forever."
Building Community and Breaking Isolation
A central outcome of the retreat is the formation of deep bonds among women who share the cancer experience. Inglett, a mother of three who lives in Copley and manages Yoga Bliss, observed the transformation that occurs over the 48 hours: "There might be a few in the beginning that aren't talking and don't want to share as much, and by the end, they're all talking, and they're all engaged, and they all want to have a say in our discussions. It's really fulfilling to see from start to finish."
Fatica noted that many participants arrive feeling isolated and alone but leave empowered and with a community of supportive women. Brown added, "Once you meet somebody that has gone through the cancer journey, you instantly bond, and you can get through all of the initial introductions and just talk about what it felt like. I don't think someone understands what it's like to go through cancer until you've actually been there."
Clinical Perspective on Multidisciplinary Cancer Care
Dr. Azka Ali, Fatica's oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, affirmed that cancer is not just a physical illness. It has a significant impact on patients' emotional and mental well-being. She noted that many treatments and therapies used for breast cancer (搜索) have side effects that can affect mood or worsen anxiety and depression, and many patients struggle with brain fog.
Ali identified time, access, and cost as the biggest barriers to utilizing available supportive resources. Because The Healing Sanctuary (搜索) is a completely free experience, it eliminates the cost barrier entirely.
"I think what we're learning about a lot of chronic illness treatment and a lot of cancer treatment is that it really is a team sport," Ali said. "It's not just a patient working with their surgeon or their radiation oncologist or their medical oncologist, but it's really a type of disease that needs multidisciplinary care."
Other free local resources available to cancer patients in the region include Stewart's Caring Place (搜索), a cancer wellness center, and The Gathering Place (搜索), which focuses on addressing the mind, body, and spirit. The Cleveland Clinic also offers acupuncture, yoga, reiki, massages, and music and art therapy.
Funding and Future Expansion
The Healing Sanctuary (搜索) currently operates entirely through donations. The radio station WQMX has assisted with fundraising efforts, and the organization has received approximately $18,000 through community donations, according to Inglett. Local restaurants have donated food, practitioners have volunteered their time, and community members have contributed meals, snacks, yoga mats, and other supplies.
Brown said the next phase will focus on refining the fundraising process to support continued expansion. Fatica articulated a longer-term vision of building a permanent sanctuary with a spa, sauna, workout room, and other amenities to create a truly immersive getaway. The group also hopes to increase the frequency of retreats.
"It's the most rewarding and fulfilling thing to be able to give women that are going through such a horrific time a few days of peace and happiness," Fatica said. "That's the greatest gift you could ever give anybody."